City passes ordinance to prevent downtown loitering

The Mankato City Council has passed an ordinance aimed at preventing loitering in the downtown public corridors.

The ordinance gives the city authority to manage public areas such as skyways, parking ramps, and bus shelters. 

The ordinance will restrict skyway hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., instead of  24 hours, but the city would have the authority to change those hours when necessary. It also prohibits lying down anywhere in a pedestrian corridor, blocking the flow of pedestrian traffic, and bringing non-service animals or shopping carts into those public areas. 

Violation of the ordinance would be a misdemeanor.